Ignore Warning Signs To Get Morals

              This post is part of Colgate’s(My Healthy Speak Blog) contest in collaboration with                                  Indiblogger.

Learn from other’s mistake. You don't have enough time to make them all in your lifetime.  -Said by someone very wise.

                Morals have been the same since past trillions of years; right from time of the bite of the apple to the launch of Apple’s IPhone5. Back then, during evolution homosapiens got their warnings and now in the 21^st century, modern people still get their warnings. But nothing has changed. We, humans, are self destructive. We ignore the signs and pay for it heavily afterwards. That’s how we are wired.             

                My story about the topic is a true one. Actually, I hate Colgate for bringing up this topic because it really refreshed some of my painful memories. But at the hindsight, I have come to think that had I been careful and proactive at the outset, I would not have to endure the pain. And probably that episode has taught me a lesson which I am never going to forget.

                It is said that tooth pain is equivalent to delivering a baby and I can't agree more. It happened with a very minor incident. One day after dinner, I was lazing on the bed reading some magazine when my wife barged in and started reprimanding me for something. Women, you know! While getting up, I realised some chicken shred from dinner had got stuck between my molars. I generally ran my tongue to feel it and bit something, which I thought was a piece of saunf. Something broke with that bite. I took it out and realised it was a fractured piece of my right side front molar tooth. I gave it an amused look and showed it to my wife.

                “Why are you so injury prone, Neel?” my wife said, already foaming at the mouth. “Get it fixed by a dentist tomorrow.”

                “ Okie dokie” I said, not wanting to argue with her. Though I knew I had a busy next day at work. I will show it later, I thought and carried on with my lousing around.

                                                         **************

                “Sir, there’s a dull pain in my tooth” I said while opening my mouth in front of my immediate boss.

                “Bloody chap, don’t show it to me. Show it to the dentist.” he said as he turned towards his computer to put on some music.

                “Can I go now?”  I asked knowing that he will not miss me because his boss was not around.

                “Yeah, but come back fast.” he said while reclining on his chair and closing his eyes.

                                                          ***************

                “When did this happen?” the dentist asked while peering inside my mouth.

                “Oh, a couple of months back” I said.

                “Well, you should have come earlier, in fact the day it happened.” he said. I could not make out his expression whether he was smiling or frowning because of the mask. “I hope I should be able to save your tooth.”

                Save my tooth, what the hell, I thought. “What exactly is the problem, Doc” I said with a hint of concern.

                “You see, you had fractured your tooth.” he said while removing his mask and revealing his buck tooth. “Had it been at an early stage, we could have just filled it up or could have put a cap on it.

                “Now because you didn’t get it fixed and because of tooth decay, the infection has reached your gums.” Adding grimly, he said “Now we will have to perform RCT.”

                “What is RCT?” sounding anxious.

                “It’s called Root Canal Treatment and is quite painful.” he said with a devious smirk.

                 Then after few X Rays, and a number of sittings at the clinic after which I used to come out with a numb face because of the anaesthesia, I realised one thing – ALWAYS LISTEN TO YOUR WIFE. I still have jitters at night thinking about how a tough guy like me was squirming and whimpering on the dentist's chair. Now I have a steel cap and everytime I go under a metal detector, it beeps. Just kidding over there. These days I have to take a lot of care about that steel cap. I have to brush twice a day. I have to gargle after every meal. I cannot chew sticky food like a chewing gum because the last time I did, the gum took out the cap and next day I was again sitting with the dentist to get the cap fixed. Basically I have to maintain my dental hygiene to elongate the life of the steel cap.

                   Hope you guys have enjoyed reading the whole act, which is true and not funny as it seems upon reading. Moral of the story - do not mess with the health of your teeth because it is both painful and costly. My dad swears by it because he has been a faithful patient who made our dentist a rich man. Act fast whenever any dental accident happens. Don't ignore it or delay its treatment. The dentist may be able to save your tooth/ teeth!  And also nothing like a great smile showing a perfect set of white and healthy teeth unlike mine with a false steel tooth. Till then take care and happy brushing.

               

               

               

Core Strengthening For Runners

 We have seen trees or plants swaying from side to side if their stems or trunks are weak. And on the contrary, trees with strong and solid trunks holding their branches up high with stability command respect. Our mid section should also be comparable to the strong trunk of a tree. In case the midsection is weak, the whole running form goes for a six. The hips sway from side to side and invites a host of injuries from lower back ache, hamstring pull, runners knee, IT band irritation, Achilles problem and even Plantar Fasciitis.

In short distances races of say 5 km, a strong core doesn't matter much but the longer we run, the efficiency and economy of body posture starts to deteriorate. So, to maintain fluid stride and efficient running technique it is imperative to strengthen the core on a regular basis i.e at least 3-4 times a week.

The role of core muscles is to hold the glutes and spine in a correct arrangement. The core muscles comprises of lower and upper back muscles, pectorals, chest, front and side abdominal muscles and glutes. The stability of these muscles allow us to hit the ground every time with full control and maintain running form.  Have you ever seen a top class runner without a six pack. Long distance runners are generally lanky but have core of steel.

I perform a number of core strengthening exercises 3-4 times a week generally after an easy run and around 4 times a week in the gym with light weights. I am enjoying its benefits, so can you. Let's go ahead with the exercises.

1. Plank - Front and side plank are the best exercises for stabilising the core. There are many variations to it as you become stronger. The basic posture is shown in the inset. Points to remember are to keep breathing naturally; maintain a straight line of neck, back and glutes; avoid shifting; start by holding as long as you can while maintaining a proper posture and then aim for holding for a minute. The front and side stabilisers help greatly in preserving the running form.

2. Glute Bridge - Another great exercise for those with painful knees, hamstrings and glutes. Good form will mean a straight line from neck to knees as shown in the inset. Hold the position as long as possible with breaking the form i.e sagging of hips. To make it challenging, you can lift alternate legs for 30 seconds or so.




3. Lunge - To really fire the glutes, I perform this exercise as part of warm up and core training session. To make it challenging add weights and twist to activate the stabilising muscles in glutes and abs. I do 2 sets of 10 reps on each leg.

4. Squat - A simple exercise of squatting has a lot benefits. Ensure the knees do not cross the toes at any point of time and thighs to stay parallel to floor at the lowest point. To make it challenging hold a weight plate in one hand for the side abs to work on stabilising. Discontinue if you experience pain in knee or lower back.

5. Push Ups - Point to remember is to hold the stomach in and to keep a straight line from neck to toes. Apart from strengthening the chest, back, shoulders, and triceps, it also tones the abdominal muscles. Do as many as with proper form and then repeat after a short rest.





6. Superman - An amazing exercise for lower back as shown in the inset. Hold the position for as long as possible. There are a lot of variations to this posture like raising alternate leg and hand, raising only hands or only legs. This a exercise which must be done by all runners to prevent low back ache.



7. Bent Over Rows - After targeting lower back, its time for upper back muscles. I do 16 reps on each side with 2 sets. I do not use very heavy weights. Point to remember is to keep the back absolutely straight and stomach tight. While lifting elbows should not flare up and should remain close to the body.

8. Dumbbell press - For a building a solid chest, do this exercise. You can do it on a flat or incline bench. I generally change to keep the muscles guessing. Use light weights and aim for 14-16 reps with 2-3 sets. In case shoulders pain while doing this exercise, then you are doing something wrong. Let the lower back acquire natural position with a little gap from the bench.



9. Chin Ups - Great way to build those guns and shoulders. Do as many as you can and only way to do it is to pull yourself up. Take help of a partner in case you are still at the beginner level. I do these every alternate day with a 2 sets of 9 each. Keep the abs tight during the whole move.








Well, I guess that's about all. You must be wondering I have not included any crunches for abs. I think and have also experienced that doing crunches put a lot of strain on the lower back, hence I now do planks and other exercises. Also the above exercise are a mix of upper, middle and lower body exercises which is an ideal combination to strengthen the core. Aim to do the above exercises at least 4 times a week to get those drooling mid section. If you have any queries then the comments are always welcome. Till then stay happy and keep exercising.

Start Of My Marathon Season

The sun is hot again at this time of the year. The shimmering heat brings along the dates of forthcoming Hyderabad Marathon 2013 i.e 25 August. As for this year, I have decided to run a Half Marathon. Reason being, just, not to fiddle around with my PF injury I got at the start of the year. I have around 14 weeks to train for the Half. I foresee that I should be able to run it without an injury and that too in a good time. Probably then run another Half or maybe Full the next month in Hyderabad Heritage Marathon.

My aim in running is a pretty lofty one right now. I want to do and experience an ultramarathon of 100 miles. It will probably take a year or two of consistent training and being injury free. As of now because of the heat my mileage is restricted to around 5-6 km a day and a 10 km on weekends. Apart from that I have started with yoga and weight training with light weights emphasizing more on strengthening my core. Also I am on a weight loss mission. I have taken a couple of months sabbatical and behaving like a monk i.e no drinking, no junk food, no breads, no white flour, no sweets, eating lots of fruits and veggies, getting up before sunrise, sleeping by 10 at night and some more of eccentric behaviour. Well, that's just me. I sometimes prefer to do it the hard way. Basically taking a lot of rest along with hard workouts and eating clean.

I guess it is important to take control of your life before one embarks on a journey, especially a long one like training for a marathon. People ask me why do I run and what are the benefits of running such long distances for which one needs to sacrifice so much of personal comfort, health, money and family time. I just have one answer to them (I had read it in a book and fell in love with it) - The purpose of life is a life of purpose.I believe my purpose, as of now, is to run to my heart's content. The purpose may change next year or next month or the very next moment but the very presence of a purpose makes me feel alive.

I am going to wrap up the post for now and will come back with some more about the my journey. Till then take care and keep exercising.

Post Workout Routine

Getting a workout in the morning in itself is a big deal for many, including me. And what you do after the workout determines the recovery process and the status of being injury free. Over a span of few years, I have developed a post workout routine which I want to share with my readers. It's nothing new or extraordinary but might help few in preserving their mortal bodies.

1. Strengthening - Since the NDA days, we have been taught to do a bit of strengthening exercises before cooling down. I love to run, for that matter you may like cycling or swimming or any other cardio vascular activity, so I need to, apart from my lower body, strengthen my upper body to maintain a good posture on the long runs.  Few exercises which I do as part of strengthening are(generally 2 sets of each exercise) -

    a) Push ups.

    b) Chin ups.

    c) Walking lunges.

    d) Squats.

    e) Core work to include crunches, planks, glute bridge.

    f) Some lower back exercises like cobra pose.

    g) Clam shells and side leg raises for glutes.

2. Cooling Down - The process seems to be an irritant sometimes, because of the feeling that "I have got the workout in, let's get on with the other chores. I don't need to cool down." There has not been any established fact that cooling down can reduce or prevent post workout muscle soreness, but it does help to get the body from a exerted state to a resting state. I prefer to do some yoga to slow down the body and stretch any sore areas. I have written about this head in one of my previous post.

3. Icing - Icing after a workout is said to speed up recovery. I have my own home made ice pack which after every workout, whether I feel for it or not, use it on my knees, quads, hamstring and calf. After the PF injury, I now have a frozen bottle to roll under my feet. On cold days, I avoid ice but I soak myself in the freezing water. Brrr.

4. Recovery Drink - I am still on the discovery mode for a home made, cheap recovery drink. I can't afford to drink an energy drink like Gatorade every day after a workout. So, a glass of cold milk with a scoop of Bournvita or Horlicks gets me going along with a handful of almonds. I try to have my drink within half an hour of cooling  down.

5. Hydration - I try and drink atleast a glass of water every hour during office time. Yup, it also means frequent visits to the men's room as well. Also, if possible, a glass of coconut water and tons of tea(I know it's not advisable to drink so much) are also included in the hydration.

6. Miscellaneous - Few things which I feel do not come under the above heads are as given below -

    a) Meditation - It is the last thing, after cooling down and yoga, to slow down the body and mind            completely. It is a very powerful exercise.

    b) Stand around - I try to move around and avoid sitting for 30 minutes at a stretch.

    c) Stretch  - When I am moving around or doing some reading while standing, I keep stretching any sore muscles and in particular after the recent injury, my calves and plantar fascia. I guess this kind of stretch throughout the day keeps the muscles loose and supple.

    d) Relax - This is one area where almost every human needs to work hard to achieve. A stressed out mind of an athlete find it hard to recover and may jeopardise his/her future workouts. I, generally, try to remember to breathe deeply during any such situation.

So, here goes my post workout routine for you guys. Hope it serves some purpose. Any addition or variation, any of my readers may have, can share them for the benefit of all of us. Till then, take care and keep exercising. 

I Am A Superman Dad

I am out of subjects to write on. My blog, at present, looks like a beach resort in off season. I guess I am living the "writer's block" phase. So, here's goes a post I had been thinking to write for a long time, though it's not the genre I write on.

I am sometimes guilty for my kid's vomiting when I feed him, in a hurry, slightly cold and thick food. And get a suitable rebuking from my wife. But mostly it happens when he's down with some flu or fever, which generally strikes him at least once in two months. Parenting is one hell of a job. Having a child changes your life, for sure. Well, we, as a couple, were happy go lucky. People used to envy us until we became parents and in return, started envying other childless couples.

Life was so smooth without a kid. But I guess, raising a child is a step towards self growth. Parenting involves lot of patience, planning, empathy and hard work. Over a period of last two years of being a father of the guy in the picture, I have grown with him. I feel indebted to him for teaching me a lot of things. In India, I don't know about other countries, most of the male population is of the view that raising a kid involves just giving sperm and money for the education, clothes and food. What they don't realise is that spending quality time with the kids is a paramount requirement. Neglect this aspect and you will be raising future rapists, wife beaters, alcoholics, drug addicts, loners, under confident fellows and what not.

I feel taking over from the mother in raising the kid, in some areas, is essential. My wife brags to others about me saying that apart from breast feeding, he does everything else. I know many father's who just feel that holding a kid in the market place is doing more than enough. I will tell you what all I do and it's not self praise but a message to all father's that contributing to the household chores and looking after the kid will not belittle you.

1. Potty Cleaning - At first, for a couple of months, I refused to clean up my son's potty. But circumstances forced me to do it. And it was not that bad. Yup, the smell was revolting but it's okay. A human needs to crap and till the time he can't do it on his own, I need to help him. I do this act to relieve my wife of the this extra work so that she can finish off her other chores when I am around.

2. Bathing - It's a much difficult task than potty cleaning. Many issues are involved in this process like checking water temperature, ensuring soap or shampoo doesn't go in the eye, making bathing fun, laying out clean and dry clothes to be worn later etc. Also ensuring that he doesn't crack his skull in the bathroom by slipping on the wet floor.

3. Feeding - I, now, can sing most of the nursery rhymes with actions to entertain my kid while feeding him. Kids are not interested in meals going beyond a couple of minutes. So, to distract them YouTube is my messiah. I play a lot of videos like nursery rhymes, funny videos, children songs, Gangam Style. This distractions help me in stuffing food in his mouth. But there are times, he just won't eat and have to take help in pinning him down while I feed him. But this also doesn't work every time. He then just had to be left on his own. Now, as he is nearing 2 year mark, he has started eating on his own from his plate. And I am also learning to cook for him but my wife says I suck in that. I know one day I will get better.

4. Miscellaneous - Then there are other things like changing diaper  changing clothes, looking after him in parties, so that wife can have a good time, putting him to sleep in the afternoon and night, brushing his teeth etc etc.

These acts may seem small and insignificant. But the sum total is not. The bonding, these small acts help developing is much greater what fathers generally do. I enjoy doing these things and help me spend some quality time with my son. As of now, my kid hasn't started speaking except for some monosyllables, but can express his feelings and desires, more or less. I will need to do different things and act in a different way when he grows up but the feelings are going to be the same i.e of unconditional love.

I want my kid to grow as a responsible citizen of this country, respect women and have a healthy mind and body. But we can do this if we ourselves are like this. Many of us have grown up in male dominated families, had an abusive childhood, had tormented young minds, but we can still change to give our kids a better future. We can change the scripting. I suggest reading good self help books like The Monk Who sold His Ferrari, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People and To Kill a Mockingbird( a fiction). Reading them will not make you look like a retard or a lowly person. I believe that people who read good books on philosophy and self improvement are great people who want to improve as a human being. I guess that's how a homosapien is wired i.e to grow mentally, physically and spiritually.

My wife says I still need to buckle up and learn a lot about handling a kid as sometimes I tend to become careless about the kid's needs. But I don't mind learning the tricks of the trade. I feel like I am Superman whenever I am with my kid. And by the way, apart from parenting, I still run daily, read as much as possible and write. So, life doesn't stop while being a Dad. I had read it somewhere and don't know which great man said it, but it goes like this :
                    For the first 5 years, Love him like your dearest darling,
                    Next 5 years, Kick him hard,
                    For the rest of his life thereafter, Be his best friend.

Photograph : Courtesy Kabir Verma

Tips To Beat Plantar Fasciitis

I am not a Doctor so you needn't follow what I did to heal my Plantar Fasciitis(PF) problem. But it did work and it's all out there. I just read up and bought a few things to help me recover. And VOILA, I am up and running again (though the mileage is quite less than what was a month and a half back, but nevertheless I am running).  It really helps to read up on any injury one might be facing. I did a fairly accurate diagnosis of my situation. And I will confess that I never saw a Foot Doctor. Yes, I am guilty of that charge. Though  it is not advisable to do a self treatment if the injury goes out of hand.

Okay, I learnt that to treat this injury, you need to pay attention to your calf muscle. Yes, it's tightness leads to number of issues including Achilles Tendinitis and PF. Below I have given some stretches and strengthening exercises for the calf and Plantar Fascia.

1. Calf Raise and Heel Drop - It's a very simple exercise to do. Just stand on your toes for a couple of seconds and come down to normal position. One can do it while standing on the edge of a raised platform so that the heels can go down to give a nice stretch to the calf. It can be done anywhere like brushing or shaving, waiting at bus stop, in the office or in the elevator. Aim to do as many as you can, till you feel a bit sore. A variation is to do on single leg to gain more benefit but the transition should be gradual.

2.  Standing Calf Stretch - Push the wall, literally. Stand next to a wall or a pole and lean on to it with one leg forward. As you do it, experience a stretch in the calf muscle. I keep doing this stretch in between my warm up jog to loosen up my calf.

3. Toe Yoga - It looks difficult at the start but comes by easily after some practice. Sit or stand barefoot. Now lift your big toe finger of the leg by driving the rest of the four fingers in the ground. If you are not able to do then you can press those four fingers with your hand to isolate the big toe. Then next step is to drive the big toe in the ground and raise the four fingers. It's an excellent small but effective exercise to activate those muscles in the foot. Keep doing it until you can do without the help of your hands.

4. Toe Curls - Again a simple exercise to wake up and strengthen the plantar fascia. Place foot on a towel or cloth and perform curls i.e try to pull the cloth towards yourself with the help of toes. A variation can be that you can curl the toe and turn ankle inside and outside without shifting the heel. And to further the strengthening, place a light weight on the cloth to be pulled by the toe.




5. Single Leg Balance - Sounds simple, right. Stand barefoot on one leg and place heel of other leg on the inner thigh or calf or simply, let it hang in air. Now close your eyes for 30 seconds to start with. The balancing act will strengthen and activate the foot and ankle muscles. Increase the time gradually as balance becomes better. You can do it practically anywhere like I do while brushing in the morning. A small tip - try to grab as much ground  with your leg fingers as possible.


6. Plantar Fascia Stretch - Put one leg on another and pull the fingers of foot towards the leg giving the Plantar Fascia a nice stretch. Hold for 5 - 10 seconds and return to normal position. Do it as much as possible throughout the day or when feeling any tightness in Plantar Fascia or pain in the heel. Also do it first thing in the morning before placing foot on the ground.

7. Ball Roll - Roll a golf or tennis ball under the foot to release the tight spots in the foot. I include this in my pre and post run routine to keep the Plantar Fascia loose. In fact, I, most of the times, carry a tennis ball in my bag to where ever I am travelling.



8. Barefoot Running - I also tried barefoot running but at a later stage after I felt my calves are strong enough to handle the strain. Running barefoot seems to have strengthen my foot muscles. The amount of run  is quite minimal i.e a couple of 100 metres in a football ground.

These are the stretches and exercises which I did and still doing to recover from Plantar Fasciitis. It will now be a continuous process for as long I am going to run. I also bought a few items to help me recover.

1. Splint - It keeps the calf in a normal flexed position. I could not find a Strassberg Socks so bought a splint instead but it did the trick of immobilising my leg below knee. It was a miracle cure for me.



2. Orthotics - These prevent over - pronation and release tension on the Plantar Fascia. It's a everyday use insole. I wear it while running and during the working hours. But now, I am gradually building up the arch strength and reducing it's use. I don't want to be dependent on it for the rest of my life.


Apart from the exercises I have given above, there are few issues or guidelines I am following to stay loose.

1. Core - I read somewhere that most of the time,  origin of most of the sports related injury starts from weak core. So, it is imperative for any sportsman to devote a lot of time on strengthening the core region.

2. Warm up - After occurrence of PF, a runner has to concentrate a lot on warm up exercises to ensure loosening of Plantar Fascia.

3. Ice - I have a frozen bottle of water which I use specially for rolling under the foot. It's a great pain relief and loosening aid.

4. Avoid hills and speed work initially, till atleast a couple of months.

5. Stretch - Stretch the calves as much as possible, throughout the day.

6. Reduce Weight - Lesser weight on legs, lesser injuries. Simple!

7. Stand - Avoid sitting for more than 30 minutes at a stretch because it leads to tightening of glutes, hamstring and calves and resultant tightening of Plantar Fascia.

Well, I guess I have covered more or less everything I am doing to beat PF. Till then, keep exercising and stay happy.

The "Losing It" Contest

When I entered carrying my travel bag, it was already foggy with cigarette smoke with a tired yellow bulb glowing in the middle of the room. Immediately the smoke watered my eyes and led me to a coughing spell. My course mate, then, offered me the poison stick and I accepted it readily to try it out. Among the three of us, I was a non - smoker. And I became a smoker from that instance for next 11 years.

During NDA(National Defence Academy) days, smoking is a sin. If one gets caught, then only God can save him. Our course was out on a three day tour to some training establishment, when I first got introduced to smoking. It was sometime in 2001(guys are generally not great at remembering dates) when I started smoking and I continued with full vigor till June 2012.

Though in Academy, we are quite fit and athletic, I could feel the difference smoking did to me in that three day visit. But our human body is a wonderful machine and gets adjusted to the nonsense we feed it day in and day out. In NDA, my consumption was limited to only a couple of cigarettes in a week. I thought I was not addicted. But I was wrong. I was hooked on big time. I realised it whenever I used to be home on term breaks. And I kept smoking with vengeance and once got caught in IMA(Indian Military Academy). I paid for it heavily by earning extra punishment runs in the evening in battle gear and many more things I prefer not to disclose on this post. But it did not deter me from not smoking. Instead I became more careful in not getting caught.

I was young and my body could cope up despite of the poison. I am a fitness freak and had a self devised philosophy that the amount of exercise I do is more than enough to negate the ill effects of smoking. I was wrong. As years passed by, I became a heavy smoker i.e smoking around 3 packs a day. I had hand shivering, increased migraine attacks, dull skin texture, dark circles etc etc. Though I was fit but smoking was destroying me slowly. My scuba diving instructor once told me that I am going to, maybe, invent a technique to even smoke underwater!

I had tried to quit smoking at two separate occasions but failed miserably. My wife detested me whenever I smoked. My colleague, a Sikh officer, and I used to share a common office in Bikaner. He got tired of telling me to not smoke and finally said that he's going to die of lung cancer instead of me. I was ashamed but I was into the terrible clutches of this deadly drug. The Sikh officer told me once that the song 'Hotel California' by Eagles is for the guys like me and those who are into heavier stuff. In the last stanza, the song goes like "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

So, when I got transferred to Hyderabad, I thought that enough of the nicotine slavery. I am going to kick this habit in the butt. I am going to be a free man and lead a healthy, smoke free life, at least for the sake of my wife and kid. Then I stumbled upon this really great book of Allen Carr, Easyway to Stop Smoking. This book delivered what it claimed. I stopped the moment I finished the  book. It's now more than 8 months that I am smoke free. This book works in the following way -

1. First and foremost, the author removes the fear of staying smoke free. Nicotine withdrawal is not painful. Infact, the times our mind says it needs a smoke is just psychological. The book works by removing the fear of not smoking.

2. Secondly, techniques of leaving smoking like the will power method, nicotine patches, chewing gums, e - cigarettes, gradual reduction etc are all bogus. They don't work as they don't remove the fear and sooner or later, the person returns on his knees to this dreadful habit.

3. Visualizing the end result i.e being healthy, richer, cleaner help in boosting the confidence to kick this habit.  The power of visualization is very strong.

4. The book says there is nothing like only one drag or one cigarette. Only one drag is enough to start the whole chain of smoking again and again.

5. It says that have pity on people you see smoking. Think how they are throwing their lives away and how they are inhaling the cancerous smoke. Sympathize with them and try to help them get free.

6. Whenever the withdrawal pang hits you, think that the poison is leaving the body. It makes the withdrawal phase enjoyable.

7. Lastly, does a smoker let his kids smoke if he says that he enjoys the stick? Smoking is not pleasurable. It kills the pleasure and makes the person more miserable.

After kicking this habit, within weeks I could feel the difference. I was a new man. I, even, decided to train for a marathon and ran it in August 2012. It is such a pleasure not to be controlled by nicotine. I have written extensively about this subject in the following posts-
Stop Smoking In A Easyway
Non Smoker's Diary, Part 1
Non Smoker's Diary, Part 2

This contest gave me an opportunity to share my story and the journey to no smoking with my readers. Hope you all like it and do participate to win Prachi's book - Losing it. Till then stay happy and keep exercising.